Pokemon Learning League The Solar System
by Storalwhit
Summary: In here, Ash and Iris are relaxing on a clear night and gazing up at the stars. Then, they start wondering about the planets and what makes each of them unique from each other.


Pokemon Learning League

The Solar System

Written By

Timothy Whitfield

_(Episode opens Ash, Pikachu, Iris, Axew and Emolga sitting around a campfire and Ash talks to Iris.)_

Ash: It's a very nice night tonight, isn't it, Iris?

Iris: It sure is, Ash. I can't think of a more beautiful night than tonight.

Ash: Yeah. _(He looks at the viewers.)_ Oh, hi. Iris and I are just sitting here stargazing. It's very interesting. Do you like to stargaze? _(He and Iris wait for an answer from the viewers.)_ Oh, good.

Iris: You know, Ash, looking at the stars, they are the most beautiful thing you will ever see in the nighttime sky.

Ash: They sure are beautiful. Hey, Iris?

Iris: Yeah?

Ash: Do you ever wonder about the stars and the planets that are out there?

Iris: Well, sometimes I do wonder about them.

Ash: Really? Like what?

Iris: Well, I sometimes wonder how many planets are out there. How about you, Ash? Do you ever wonder what's out there?

Ash: Yeah, I always wonder why the stars and planets are so different from one another.

Iris: You know, I've always wondered why they're so different, too.

Ash: Oh, okay. _(He looks at the viewers.)_ How about you? Have you ever wondered what's out there in space? _(He waits for an answer from the viewers.)_ Oh, that sounds cool. Well, what about you, Pikachu, Axew and Emolga?

Pikachu: Pika.

Axew: Axew.

Emolga: Emolga.

Ash: I wonder how the planets and stars are different from one another.

Iris: I know. Let's call Siara. She'll have the answer we need. _(She pulls out the Pokepilot and calls Siara.)_ Hi, Siara.

Siara: Hey, Ash and Iris. What's up?

Iris: Well, Ash and I were just stargazing and we started to think about why the stars and planets are different from each other. So we wanted to ask you to see if you had the answer.

Siara: I'll be glad to tell you about it. Let's talk about the planets of our solar system.

Ash: What is the solar system made up of?

Siara: Well, the solar system is made up of the Sun, the planets, asteroids, and dwarf planets.

Iris: Well, why is it called the solar system?

Siara: It's called the solar system because all the planets revolve around the Sun.

Ash: Really? How do the planets revolve around the Sun?

Siara: Well, the planets revolve because they are caught in the Sun's gravity and therefore orbit around it.

Iris: Huh? What's an orbit?

Siara: Okay, a planet's orbit is an elliptical path that the planet follows around the Sun.

Iris: All right, well how many planets are there in the solar system?

Siara: There are eight planets in the solar system and they are categorized as either terrestrial planets or gas giants.

Ash: What are the terrestrial planets?

Siara: The terrestrial planets, also called the inner planets, are the planets that have rocks and metal, have solid surfaces and are the closest to the Sun.

Iris: Well, which ones are the terrestrial planets?

Siara: The terrestrial planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

Iris: What makes each of the inner planets different from each other?

Siara: Mercury is the closest to the Sun and is the smallest planet, Venus's size and mass is similar to Earth's and its atmosphere is 96.5% Carbon Dioxide and 3.5% nitrogen, Earth is the only planet that has water and life on it that we know of now, and also our home planet and Mars is known as the red planet because the iron oxide on the surface gives it a red color.

Ash: Cool! What are the gas giants?

Siara: The gas giants, also called the outer planets, are the largest planets that have a thick layer of hydrogen and helium; they orbit beyond the asteroid belt, and are much further away from the Sun.

Ash: What makes each one of these different?

Siara: Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and its atmosphere is primarily made up of hydrogen and helium, Saturn has nine rings around it made up of mostly ice, rock and dust, Uranus's axis is tilted on its side and also has its own ring system, and Neptune has the strongest winds of any planet in the solar system and is also one of the coldest.

Iris: Okay, besides the planets, what else does the solar system have?

Siara: Well, the solar system also has space rocks called asteroids.

Iris: What are asteroids?

Siara: Asteroids are rocky worlds that revolve around the Sun that are too small to be considered planets. They can also be called planetoids or minor planets.

Iris: Wait, where do most of the asteroids come from?

Siara: Well, they all lie in a vast ring between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This ring is called the Asteroid Belt. It holds more than 200 large asteroids and scientists estimate that there are more than 750,000 that are larger than a kilometer and millions of smaller ones.

Iris: Wow! That's a lot of asteroids.

Siara: It sure is a lot.

Ash: Well, what are dwarf planets?

Siara: Dwarf planets are celestial bodies that orbit the Sun, have enough mass to assume a round shape, but doesn't clear the neighborhood around its orbit. They tend to orbit in zones of similar objects that can cross their paths around the Sun. They are also generally smaller than Mercury.

Ash: Wait a minute, what does it mean when a planet "clears the neighborhood?"

Siara: What it means is that a planet is gravitationally dominant and there are no other objects in its orbit other than its moons.

Ash: Oh, okay. Thanks, Siara.

Siara: Not a problem, Ash.

Iris: Okay, which ones are the minor planets?

Siara: The minor planets are Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.

Iris: Well, where is each of them located?

Siara: Pluto, Haumea, Makemake and Eris are located in a region called the Kuiper Belt and Ceres is located within the asteroid belt.

Iris: Okay, what is the Kuiper belt?

Siara: The Kuiper belt is the region of the Solar System that is beyond the orbit of Neptune.

Ash: The solar system is a very cool subject to learn about.

Siara: It is very cool. Would you two like to put part of the solar system together with me?

Both: Okay!

Pikachu: Pika.

Axew: Axew.

Emolga: Emolga.

_(Cut to a map of the Solar System.)_

Siara: Okay, what we are going to do here is put the Solar System together in the right order. Are you guys ready?

Both: We're ready.

Siara: Okay, let's get started. Where does the asteroid belt go in the Solar System?

Iris: I know. It's located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Siara: Very good, Iris. Now, where are Pluto, Eris, Makemake, and Haumea located?

Ash: They are located in the Kuiper Belt.

Siara: Good one, Ash. Okay, where is the Kuiper Belt?

Iris: It is located beyond Neptune's orbit.

Siara: Good job, Iris. Now, where is Ceres's location?

Ash: Ceres is located within the asteroid belt.

Siara: Very good, Ash. Good work so far, you two.

Both: Thank you, Siara.

Siara: Okay, I've got to get going now. Do you guys think you can finish putting the rest of the solar system together on your own?

Ash: We sure can. What do you think, Iris?

Iris: I think so, too.

Siara: I knew that you could. Well, see you later, guys.

Ash: Bye, Siara.

Iris: Okay, why don't we go over what we know before we get to work on the solar system?

Ash: That's a good idea, Iris. Why don't we get some of our friends to help us out?

Iris: Okay. _(She looks at the viewers.) _Are you ready to go? _(She waits for an answer from the viewers.) _Well, good. Okay, what is the Solar System made up of? _(She waits for an answer from the viewers.) _ It's made up of the Sun, the planets, asteroids and dwarf planets. Way to go.

Ash: Now, what are the terrestrial planets also called? _(He waits for an answer from the viewers.)_ They are also called the inner planets because they are the closest to the Sun. All right.

Iris: All right, what the gas giants also called? _(She waits for an answer from the viewers.) _They are also called the outer planets because they are much farther away from the Sun. Very good.

Ash: Okay, what does it mean when a planet is "clearing the neighborhood?" _(He waits for an answer from the viewers.) _It means that gravitationally dominant and there are no other objects in its orbit. Great job.

Both: Great work, everybody.

Pikachu: Pika.

Emolga: Emolga.

Axew: Axew.

Ash: Okay, let's get back to work on the Solar System. Let's see what else we have to put in.

Iris: Well, it seems that we have to put the planets in the right order.

Ash: Well, then let's get right to it.

Iris: Hold on a second there, Ash. Let's ask our friends if they want to help out before we jump right into it.

Ash: Oh, right. Sorry, Iris. _(He looks at the viewers.)_ Are you ready to help us out? _(He waits for an answer from the viewers.) _Cool. Let's do it.

_(Cut to the map.)_

Ash: Okay, what is the first planet? _(He waits for an answer from the viewers.) _The first planet is Mercury. Way to go.

Iris: All right, what is the second planet? _(She waits for an answer from the viewers.) _The second one is Venus. Excellent.

Ash: Well, what is the third planet? _(He waits for an answer from the viewers.) _The third planet is Earth, our home planet. Good job.

Iris: So, what is the fourth planet? _(She waits for an answer from the viewers.) _The fourth one is Mars, the red planet. Good work.

Ash: Well, what is the fifth planet? _(He waits for an answer from the viewers.) _The fifth one is Jupiter, the largest planet. Great work.

Iris: All right, what is the sixth planet? _(She waits for an answer from the viewers.) _The sixth one is Saturn, the one with the largest rings. Very good.

Ash: Okay, what is the seventh planet? _(He waits for an answer from the viewers.) _The seventh one is Uranus, the tilted planet. Great job.

Iris: Well, what is the eighth planet? _(She waits for an answer from the viewers.) _The eighth one is Neptune, the windiest planet. Way to go.

_(Cut back to Ash and Iris sitting.)_

Both: Thanks a lot, everyone.

Axew: Axew.

Pikachu: Pika.

Emolga: Emolga.

Ash: I think we did a good job on the solar system.

Iris: We sure did. It was a lot of fun.

Ash: Yeah, I can't believe there are so many planets out there and there are some that haven't discovered.

Iris: Yeah, there might be. _(She looks up at the sky.)_ Oh, look, a shooting star.

Ash: Oh, yeah. Let's make a wish.

_(They both close their eyes.)_

Ash: So, what did you wish for?

Iris: I can't tell you, or it won't come true.

Ash: You know learning about the solar system really makes stargazing more exciting.

Iris: You're right, Ash. It really does make it more exciting. Who knows what else we might spot in the sky? We might be lucky if we spot a planet.

Ash: You know we might also spot a comet streaking across the sky.

Iris: That's another cool thing we might be able to spot.

Ash: You know, the solar system has a lot places that we didn't know existed.

Iris: Yeah, and because we learned about it, we got to know certain things that we didn't know before.

Ash: I know. It just makes looking at the stars cooler than ever before.

_(Ash and Iris sit up and they, Pikachu, Axew, and Emolga look at the viewers.) _

Both: Thanks a whole lot, everyone.

Pikachu: Pika.

Axew: Axew.

Emolga: Emolga.

_(Cut to them sitting around the campfire.)_

Iris: We sure had a great time. Did you have a great time? _(She waits for an answer from the viewers.) _That sounds great. I liked that we put the map of the Solar System together.

Ash: I liked that we got to learn so much about the Solar System.

Both: Thanks again, everybody. See you next time.

_(They both wave goodbye and lay back down to continue star gazing, and the scenery fades to black, ending the episode.)_


End file.
